Field hockey splits weekend games

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The Bison field hockey team took on Lehigh and Monmouth this past weekend. Their 5-1 win against Lehigh on Sept. 22 improved their record to 2-0 in the Patriot League, while a close loss to Monmouth the following day brought their overall record to 5-4.

In the matchup against Lehigh, the Bison added another victory to their repertoire. With this win, head coach Jeremy Cook accumulated his 100th career win. Brittany Willwerth ’20 and Megan Keeney ’21 both contributed two goals apiece, while Katie Mannino ’19 tacked on one in a decisive victory.

Willwerth displayed another strong performance, having now scored five goals over the team’s first two league games. Keeney, who previously had one career goal, tripled this statistic by scoring two against the Mountain Hawks, both of which came from close range shots on goal.

Despite conceding a goal in the second half, goalkeeper Olivia Harris ’20 was solid in the goal for the Bison, saving four shots that came her way.

“The game against Lehigh was a great portrayal of our ability to press teams and create scoring opportunities,” Mannino said. “Having spent the majority of the prior week in practice perfecting forward rotation, we truly capitalized.”

Looking to continue the momentum following this win, the Bison fell short against Monmouth on Sept. 23. Though the Orange and Blue jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, Monmouth scored the game’s final three goals, causing the Bison to fall to the Hawks.

Early on in this matchup, Lexi Quick ’19 put the Bison on the scoreboard with her fourth goal of the season. The assist came from Allie Christopher ’20 following a penalty corner. Christopher registered another assist later in the game as the Orange and Blue took a 2-0 lead with a goal from Nicole Rupnik ’19.

“This season we have been improving everyday, practices have been getting more and more competitive, which is ramping up our level of play on the field,” Christopher said. “Being 2-0 in the league right now is great but we know that we have some tough games coming up and need to continue working hard together.”

The Bison will be back in action on Sept. 30 when they take on Virginia Commonwealth University at 1 p.m at Graham Field.